8 Remarkable Books Like The Giver
As a reader, sometimes you come across a book that you can’t put down. You stay up late into the night reading because you just have to know what happens next. Other times, you find a book that is so disturbing, it’s hard to keep your mind on anything else.
And then there are the books that make you think. They make you ask yourself big questions about life and love and morality. If you’re looking for a book like that, then look no further than The Giver.
And if you’re like me and was forced to read the intricate book that is The Giver in high school, then you know fascinating the dystopian genre became after that. Here is a list of dystopian books like The Giver.
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Books Like The Giver
The Fifth Season By N.K. Jemisin
Awarded the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2016, this science fantasy novel is set in a far future Earth, where the continents have all collided again and terrestrial destruction has erupted. The titular “Fifth Seasons” happens when a massive natural disaster impacts all life over most of the continent for a long period of time. The narrative revolves around people in this new world that gained the ability to control Earth. These people are called Orogenes and an empire, called Sanze, controls most of the new continent.
Sanze has created a training facility, the Fulcrum, that is designed to train Orogenes. With philosophical themes, this book gives you a lot to chew on in regards to slavery, race, sexuality, and freedom. Much like The Giver, The Fifth Season is most certainly dark, but worthy to read. The world of The Fifth Season is an unbelievably harsh one and will leave an impact on you after reading it.
The Fifth Season is one of the best books like The Giver.
You can find this book on Amazon or Book Depository
Recruitment By K.A. Riley
Another dystopian novel like The Giver, Recruitment by K.A. Riley is set in a world where days matter. No matter what day you were born that year, everyone is assigned the same birthday: November 1st.
It’s the anniversary date when the government declared war on the Eastern Order. However, the day you turn seventeen, Recruiters come to take you away to strip you of your old life and make you anew. For sixteen-year-old Kress, it means getting taken with her best friend and handsome, enigmatic guy. Kress and the others are excited for what awaits them.
But, Recruitment isn’t exactly what they all expected… It’s weeks of training that lies ahead of them. They’re the key to winning the war. As days pass, Kress begins to wonder… is this what life is about?
You can find this book on Amazon
The Maze Runner By James Dashner
Similar to The Hunger Games, Divergent, and The Giver, The Maze Runner by James Dashner is a worldwide phenomenon series. If you liked any of the series mentioned, you will definitely enjoy this one. After waking up in the lift, Thomas hardly remembers a thing; only that his name is… Thomas.
He’s surrounded by a group of boys, all younger than eighteen and not a single one having recollection of their past. Entrapped by towering stone walls, there’s nowhere for the boys to go other than a maze – which is the only way out.
But, no one has ever survived the maze. Then one day, a girl appears in the lift. She’s the first girl they had ever seen arrive. She comes with a message, one that will set in motion a new plan for Thomas and the group. This book is nerve-racking and will have you at the edge of your seat. Read to find out if they make it through the maze.
You can find this book on Amazon or Book Depository
The Clay Lion By Amalie Jahn
The Clay Lion by Amalie Jahn is an exceedingly award-winning YA Science Fiction novel. This novel is a beautiful, heartwarming story of a sister’s unconditional love for her brother in a time-traveling universe. While time traveling exists, it is strictly regulated by the government.
Everyone is allotted one trip for time traveling, but one of the most important rules is that no one can change the past, ever. What if you could go back in time to save the person you love the most? For Brooke, it would mean the world to get her brother back.
As Brooke faces reality without her beloved brother, she can only think of one solution – to travel back in time to prevent his death. She has only one shot at doing this, but this also means confronting everything she believes to be true about herself.
Writer Amalie Jahn perfectly captures the angst of loss, the beauty of love, and the compassion that stems from both through Brooke’s heartache and narration of life without her brother.
You can find this book on Amazon or Book Depository.
Books Like The Giver In A Dystopian World
Oryx and Crake By Margaret Atwood
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood is another amazing book like The Giver with a dystopian world. A plague has ruined the world, leaving mankind to its possible last human, Snowman – known as Jimmy before the plague. Jimmy (aka “Snowman”) struggles to survive in a world without his best friend, Crake, and the woman they both loved, Oryx.
In search of answers, Snowman embarks on a journey through the lush wilderness that was once a great city. Margaret Atwood’s dystopian world is fascinating, dark and thought-provoking, which forces readers into a tremendous moral reflection.
If you want books like The Giver, this book has to be added to your list.
You can buy this book on Amazon or Book Depository
The City of Ember By Jeanne Duprau
This story is filled with suspense and excitement, another amazing read similar to The Giver. In a dystopian world where humans live underground, the city of Ember is the only light in a world full of darkness. This city was built as a refuge for the human race.
But, when the lights start to flicker and dim, it is up to two friends to find the solution before darkness overtakes the city. The main characters, Lina and Doon, must figure out the clues to a secret that Lina knows could save the city.
If they succeed, they will have to convince everyone to do the unthinkable – which is to go into the danger zone. Will Lina and Doon succeed in saving the world before darkness takes over forever? Read to find out!
Definitely one of the best novels like The Giver out there.
You can buy this book on Amazon or Book Depository
The Hunger Games By Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is another world phenomenon similar to The Giver. Set in the ruins of North America, now known as Panem, each district must send a boy and a girl to a televised event as part of surrendering terms of a war that happened long ago.
This series follows the life of Katniss Everdeen, who volunteered in her sister’s place to participate in the annual, “Hunger Games.” Katniss must represent district 12, the poorest district in Panem, despite her strong dislike of the community and the event.
Peeta, the baker’s son, is drafted along with Katniss and the two must compete against each other and against twenty-two teens from the other districts. The key is to survive, but to survive they must sometimes form alliances based on friendship or need. This story grabs you instantly and leaves you hungry for more.
You can buy this book on Amazon or Book Depository
Delirium By Lauren Oliver
Another amazing read is Delirium by Lauren Oliver. This book is a slow burn, but intriguing and exciting in all the right places. In an alternate United States, where love is forbidden and considered a dangerous disease, Lena Haloway awaits for her “cure” to live a safe, predictable life. Lena has suffered much during her childhood – having watched love destroy her mother.
She didn’t want the same mistake to happen to her; she’s not going to allow it no matter what the cost is. At least that’s what she thought… with ninety-five days left of her treatment, Lena meets Alex, a boy from the Wilds. Alex lives under the government’s radar and invites Lena to do the same.
But, what would happen if they end up falling in love? Will Lena turn down love just so she could live her “perfect” life? Or, will she choose to love Alex and live a life she hadn’t imagined?
If you want dystopian books like The Giver – you have to read Delirium.
Buy this book on Amazon or Book Depository
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